Man wounded in upscale Oakland neighborhood

OAKLAND -- Two people were wounded in separate outbreaks of gun violence overnight, including one man shot during a street mugging in the upscale Rockridge neighborhood.

The robbery victim was wounded around 9:25 p.m. Saturday in the 5300 block of Manila Avenue, and was listed in stable condition, said Oakland police Officer J. Moore. However, the robber, who escaped on foot, didn't manage to steal anything.

Then early Sunday, around 12:20 a.m., a person was wounded in the 5300 block of International Boulevard, said Moore. That person got to the hospital on his own. Moore said two armed suspects escaped in a car.

Oakland Councilman Dan Kalb, who represents the Rockridge area, said the shooting occurred about three blocks from his house. He urged residents to be careful when they're walking outside and to keep an eye on their surroundings.

"Crime has gotten serious in almost every neighborhood in the city and Rockridge, where this incident happened and where I happen to live, is no exception," he said.

"We need to spend more resources on increasing the size of our police force and deploying them -- and this is key -- in ways that are most likely to deter crimes and to solve crimes. And that's what I think we will be doing when we vote on our new budget in June."

Advertisement

Kalb said he received an e-mail from police that said the victim was a man who suffered gunshot wounds and was transported to a hospital.

"People want and expect us to make public safety a top priority and I agree with that," he said. "Some neighborhoods have had these types of crimes forever, so it's not like this is new for the city of Oakland. But, now more people are aware and more people are in fear in other neighborhoods that were not previously used to it."

Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland have offered an up to $5,000 award for information leading to an arrest in the Rockridge case. Anyone with information can call police 510-238-3821.